 In the meantime, the federal government says the ravaging Delta variant of COVID-19 can be defeated if all citizens play their part in the fight against the pandemic. The Minister of Health Osage Ihanire said this at the weekly ministerial briefing, organized by the presidential communications team led by the special advisor to the president on media and publicity, Femi Adeshida. According to him, if everyone played his role, such effort put in by individuals and organizations will complement the national response by the government. While given the current status of the disease in the country, he said as of August 11, the number of confirmed cases stood at 179,000. Ihanire said Nigeria was concerned about the Delta variant because it is more transmissible and dangerous.